"My Life is a Breeze!"

Crazy mom, Part 1

2011-08-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, alot can happen in one year! I can't believe I haven't written anything on this blog for over a year! I want to "chronicle" some experiences that we've had but I am not really a "catch up' type of person, and I am not writing this blog to keep anyone posted on anything really. But I will give you a quick background on what has happened to lead us to some of the things I want to discuss right now.

My life is pretty full..... full of kids, full of animals, full of pictures, just plain full.

I'd say my biggest focus right now is probably the kids and the animals. In the past year, we have birthed 5 baby goats, hatched over 500 baby birds, sold said baby birds, acquired rare Swiss geese, raised and eaten a few turkeys, and started milking goats twice a day, EVERY day! As you can imagine, that keeps us pretty busy. We get alot of strange looks from people, and I'm sure there is chatter about us in certain circles, so why do we do it?

I'm sure my kids would tell you it is a form a torture, and they are not sure what exactly they did to deserve it, or how to get out of it. Let me just set you straight on that a bit, first of all, it wasn't originally intended to be a form of torture, but at times it definitely CAN feel that way. Secondly, they didn't do anything to deserve it. They haven't done anything to deserve anything really. That is the problem.

   Kids these days feel so entitled to everything they have, want or need, and I really want MY kids to be different. I want them to have responsibilities, to know the consequences for neglecting those responsibilities, and to overcome their weaknesses. Here is a list of things my tortured kids are rarely, if ever allowed to do:

1) Play video games
2) Watch regular TV
3) Have a "playdate" with anybody other than cousins
4) Sleep past 8 am
5) Skip a day taking care of the animals

      There are probably other things on this list, but the point was to draw attention to things I think alot of other kids do, that my kids don't get to do. I keep telling myself that someday they will thank me for this, as they see how well adjusted they are, and the basic skills they have that many other kids don't.

     There is alot of screaming, yelling, whining and nashing of teeth that happens in the process, and though I participate, NO, it isn't me doing ALL of it! I just feel driven to do these things. Not only for me, but for them, and also for our well being during the coming hard times. I know there will come a day when having all of these animals, and the skills to take care of them, will become a necessity, and not just a hobby.

Currently, we bring in all of our own eggs, milk, and Chicken meat from our own backyard. That is quite an accomplishment, considering we are doing it on just under .5 acre in a cul-de-sac in the middle of town. We have had alot of people show up to purchase baby chicks and wonder if they are in the right neighborhood. You'd never know what was hiding behind our house unless we took you back there.
Some of the things my kids have learned over the last 3 years:

1) The cycle of life
2) Cause and effect
3) Natural consequences
4) Their actions affect other people besides themselves
5) The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

THE CYCLE OF LIFE - Animals are born, animals can get sick, animals die, more animals are born, and sometimes animals are killed by predators.

      This is the only dog the kids have ever had, Scribbles. She was a very good dog, but I am not a dog person.   My kids had been begging me for a dog for months, and somehow through a strange series of events, this little dog came into our hands.   She was about 8 years old when we got her, but still behaved like a puppy. She was crazy hyper, and wanted attention all the time. The kids adored her, and she moved in with the goats. The goats didn't really adore her, but after showing her who was boss with a few good head butts, she got the idea, and they left her alone.   She, however, LOVED them. She constantly tried to play with them, and chase them, and annoy them, and they were like a couple of old irritated ladies and just let her have it when she got under foot.
     Scribbles only REAL flaw, (besides the fact that she was a dog, did I mention I don't like dogs?) was that unfortunately she liked the taste of duck, and chicken.   She killed a couple of our baby bducks in the first few weeks.   (Even Ben cried over that .) That really should have been a warning sign to me, but instead I tried to use it as a learning experience for the kids, and reminded them that she had to be locked in the goat pen at all times, and if they took her out in the yard, she had to be on a leash, and there couldn't be any birds out. They tried REALLY hard to take good care of her. They loved her, they played with her, they kept her fed, and they even took her on walks.
   Now at this particular time, I had hundreds of dollars worth of young chickens from various rare and expensive breeds. I had raised them all from chicks, and they were all living outside, and just about ready to start laying eggs within the next month or so. They were all on the East side of the barn, while Scribbles lived on the west side of the barn with the Goats and a couple of full grown turkeys.
     One evening we came home and started the animal chores in the dark, only to find Scribbles tied up on the porch of the barn. That was odd, we thought, as we went to investigate. The site we found will never be erased from my mind, it was like a chicken massacre. There were dead birds EVERYWHERE. All of my precious, rare, expensive babies, and many of my adult laying hens were dead, murdered to be more specific. I was horrified.   I was angry, I wanted to KILL that dog! I knew it had been her. Later on we found out she had gotten out, and got into our very INSECURE chicken coops and just killed bird after bird for the fun of it. She didn't even eat any of them. Just bite kill, bite kill, bite kill.   Luckily the neighbor noticed what was happening and tried to warn us. After discovering nobody was home, he was kind enough to head into our backyard and get her under control and tie her up to prevent any more loss. He felt terrible that he hadn't gotten to her sooner, but we were soooo grateful that he got to her at all.
     I felt really bad, but I knew I had to tell my kids that she couldn't stay. I didn't know anything about dogs, but we discovered later that she was actually a variety of hunting dog (I can't remember, her breed) The kids cried. They were really upset. But I think they knew there wasn't any changing my mind. Chickens are really my thing. I love the different breeds, and I had lots of plans. This incident set me back over a year with my breeding program plans.   I am just now, over a year later having mature birds to replace the ones I lost. Not to mention the money that was involved. Lets just not talk about that.
     We listed her for FREE to a good home on our local online classified website, and she went to live on a big farm with other goats. We made sure to tell her new owner that she was a chicken killer, but otherwise a great little dog. The kids wanted me to try again, and see if we could find another dog who didn't have such a drive to eat birds, but I told them I was done. When they are all grown up and livng in their own homes, they can do whatever they like.

CAUSE AND EFFECT: When you leave a gate open, animals escape. When you don't keep the water full, birds die. If you get up late, chickens don't lay eggs.

Many times over the past few years we have had some humorous, and other not so humorous animal escapes. We have come home to find our goats nibbling on the trees, garden or other plants in the yard, or even in the chicken coop eating their food, simply because the gate was left open. We have had Turkeys fly onto the barn roof and cut a leg on the metal, and chickens lay eggs in the hay or other unknown spots around the yard because we havent' built a secure enough coop, or left a door open. Many times we've had the wrong rooster breed the wrong hen because it escaped, setting back a hatch 2 weeks because our eggs were no longer pure.

Luckily, not as common we have had some occasional deaths due to high temperatures and empty water bowls. That was one they have learned relatively quickly. They still don't believe, however, that if I didn't go an check their work after they leave for the day we would have alot more dead animals than we have. I guess they think they have taken care of everything perfectly, even though I point out daily the empty water bowls and feed bins I find in various sections of the barn.

And here's the real clencher. If a kid oversleeps and doesn't open the barn at a reasonable hour, all the chickens in the barn are short on daylight hours, which actually causes them to lay less eggs that week, or in times of winter, maybe NO eggs that week. We'll discuss this more later under another topic. :-)

My nieces and nephews find it quite the local attraction, and even some of their parents enjoy the interactions:

to be continued..... I have more to this article, but I'll let you get started reading until I finish it.

Life Before Paper Towels

2010-07-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

How did people live before paper towels were invented?
We've been out of them for like 2 weeks, and every time I go to the store I forgot to get some.
You would've thought the world as we know it had come to an end...

We had to stand with dripping wet hands after washing... looking for a real towel... or using our pants.
We couldn't wash windows, or wipe off tables,
No blowing of noses in the kitchen
No cleaning up broken eggs in the barn
No wiping the sweat off a milk jug after bringing it home from the store.
No soaking up smoothie after making our morning protein shakes.
No dabbing at bloody knees,
No disinfecting of anything..
& No napkins.... cuz we usually use paper towels when we're out of those... and we're ALWAYs out of those!

It was horrible! I am so glad it's over! I made it to the store today, ,and I remembered to buy Paper Towels.
And we even got the select-a-size so we can have the perfect size for the job every time!

Once again, I can say my life is a breeze!

My new appliance repair guy...

2010-03-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd put up a few photos of my new appliance repairman. He is very cute, extremely charming, and a great kisser! (Don't tell my hubby.)

Aside from all of those qualities, he is a little slow, and he can only work in the evenings. Plus he left my kitchen a HUGE mess. I'm not sure I can recommend him, even though he's cheap. I'll have to let you know if my Dishwasher actually works when he's through. Scroll down to see the photos.....

I told you he was cute!!

Providence

2010-03-17T21:25:00.001-07:00

I have noticed frequently as of late, how clearly the Lord's hand is in my life. And I'm not just talking about the big, obvious things, that we all know about. I am amazed at how much He cares even about the little things. And how He uses our strengths to help us and save us time and heartache.

This may sound a bit trite as I mention all the little things, but it happens way too much to be coincidence. And the reason I mention our strengths, is because one of mine happens to be finding a good deal. I'm always shopping, whether it be a yard sales or grocery stores. But lately I've tried to cut back and only buy things I absolutely need. And I've noticed that as I have been out doing things, I have felt distinctly that I should go to a certain store, or buy an item that I didn't have a need for. As I have been doing this, I have noticed that within a day or two the reason for the purchase becomes evident. Most of the time it is for someone else.

My in-laws have been having a rough month with some health issues, and several times this month while I was out grocery shopping, I have bought things I didn't need (ie: extra bread, or tomatoes, or some odd thing) and had my husband call me the next day saying they needed it. And how convenient is it to serve when you have already listened and are prepared with the needed item? I have started to pay more attention and really hone in on this, because at the same time, we have been praying for more opportunities to serve.

I think it's neat that these things are happening, and though it may sound silly to others, I have no doubt what is behind it all. I like that He cares about ME too. And has helped me to be prepared with what my own family needs so that I can have more time to spend with things that really matter.

My lean mean green crew

2010-03-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of my kiddos. My oldest one says that dad is not wearing green. Dad says "I am too." The dear sweet child replies "ok, swamp green, I guess." LOL!

Avocado Green for St. Patricks Day

2010-03-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

I just got the greatest deal on Avocados EVER!!! 99 Avocado's for $15. I've been waiting for 2 weeks for them to ripen so I could do something with them. They were in the garage where it was cold so they were naturally preserving themselves. I finally brought them inside, and about a week later they were ready.
Now what does a person do with 99 Avocado's?? Well, when you have a hubby who could actually LIVE on them, you realize that with proper care and preparation, that $15 could get you through a WHOLE year.
I have done this once before and it turned out great! I have one of those big food processors, (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth - My favorite EVER see photo) and I just quarter an onion, throw it in, quarter a whole Red Bell pepper plus another half, then mince 2 cloves of garlic, and squeeze the juice from 1/2 a large Mexican Lime. Add 10 Avocados (pitted and skinned of course) and salt to taste. Then I just turn that puppy on, and in a matter of seconds I have beautiful guacamole.
I did 4 batches tonight, yep that's right, 40 avocados! Then I fill plastic bags with it and seal them in my foodsaver machine, and toss in the freezer. We have had them 6 or 8 months later and they still taste fresh. After thawing in the fridge, you just snip off a corner of the bag and squirt some out onto whatever you want. Mess free, and very convenient. Just like the ones at costco, only at a fraction of the cost.
Sometimes BuyLow Market or Rancho Markets have the avocados 2 or 3 for a dollar, so this is a great way to use up several and make them last.
The lime juice keeps the avocados from turning brown, you could use lemon instead if that's what you have on hand.
Well, 40 Avocados down, 20 to go! Wish me Luch, Happy St. Patricks Day! ( I am very prepared with all of the avocado I got on my shirt! LOL!)

"My life is a Breeze"

2010-02-15T20:12:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned lately, that "My Life is a Breeze?" I am sitting at the tail end of a whirlwind couple of weeks that started with the passing of my Grandma Fredlund. She was almost 80 and had been having some health problems, but I really didn't expect her to be gone already. My mom was kind enough to fly me to St. George, as I really wasn't up to driving alone. Yes, I know it's only 3 1/2 hours when you go 85, but I just don't do so well at driving long distances, especially alone. And we couldn't take the kids as they are in school, so Alberto had to stay with them.

It was really great to see family that i hadn't seen in years, and to be there to help prepare my Grandma for burial, and support my Grandpa.

I came home to a lineup of comparatively insignificant issues that had to be dealt with as well. First of all, while I was gone, something happened to one of the chickens, and the kids had dragged it into the garage and were trying to nurse it back to health. Plus we were leaving again in 2 days for a special Marriage Enrichment weekend that someone had "gifted" to us.So, I couldn't have a sick chicken to deal with. I went out to look at it, only to discover it had a gang green leg. YUCK. So, I called my friendly neighborhood ax murderer to PLEASE come and take care of this chicken for me. And he did. So nice of him.
The following Monday after a wonderful yet exhausting weekend, we came home to find a dead freezer. Only I thought maybe the kids had left the door ajar, so I pulled out a few things to cook up, and assumed the freezer would be fine. The power was on and I thought it would pull through. The next afternoon I had all but forgotten about it when i went to get something out for dinner and noticed that there was even MORE leaky melted goo than before, so I called the repairman.
It was uncanny how much he reminded me of my dad (also an appliance repairman) from the shiny spot on top, to the 1/4 moon down below, and the stories to go along. It was a pleasant visit I had with this kind man who brought lots of fond thoughts about my dad.
Long story short the compressor was dead, and I had to go buy a new freezer. The guy, after being there for about an hour an a half and ripping apart the whole freezer, only wanted to charge me $20 because he felt bad that I'd have to go get a new one. I didn't feel right about that and gave him $40, but you can bet I'll call him again. There were several more dumb little things to add to my stress this month, but I have long since forgotten most of them. The Marriage Enrichment Weekend was amazing, click here if you want to check out their website. Did I mention, my life is a breeze?

Book Review: The Last Promise

2010-01-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a Great book! I really enjoyed this. I believe it is a true story, and a good one at that. DON'T SKIP THE PROLOGUE, you'll be sorry. It sets the stage for the WHOLE BOOK, and the author goes back to it several times towards the end. I own several of RPE books, and haven't had a chance to read them, but I could not put this down, I read all 300 pages in less than a days time. It is a love story, but one that took a long time to get a happy ending. Many trials and obstacles to overcome, a story of faith, and friendship, Patience, suffering, and true love. I also fell in love with Italy as I read this book. I can speak a fair amount of Spanish, and I enjoyed learning many similar words in French. The author paints a vivid picture of Italy's many cities and vineyards, I found myself for the first time, "getting" the magic of Italy. I Highly recommend it!!

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Book Review: The Alchemist

2010-01-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of the best books I have ever read. The storyline is engaging and interesting, and it is just a fabulous read. I like to learn things by subtle coercion, rather than than have it stuffed down my throat. This book is much like a parable, it teaches through the power of story, and what is learned, is simply fantastic!

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Book Review: Digging to America

2010-01-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

Digging To America by Anne Tyler

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I had to force myself to finish this book. TO be honest, I'm not sure why I kept reading. I was about 75 pages in, and was thinking to myself, There has to be "something" good in here. I know this sounds like a harsh review, but I just didn't enjoy it. I guess there wasn't enough action/adventure, or good history to keep me entertained. I really don't recommend reading it. There were PARTS that were enjoyable, but the plot never developed enough or quickly enough for me to really even recognize it.

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What happened to Thanksgiving?

2009-11-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

More and more each year, I am hating the commercialism that comes with each holiday.
When I was a kid, Easter was not about bunnies, Christmas was not all about Santa, and Thanksgiving wasn't just about turkeys. Sure we had an occasional Easter egg hunt, santa always brought gifts, and we ate turkey on Thanksgiving, but we understood the real meaning behind these festivities. It was an opportunity to be with family, to feel each other's love an friendship. To see cousins we hadn't seen in a while, and to remember Christ. We knew the "Easter story" and we understood the true meaning of Christmas.
And while I am sure that I have taught these things to my children as well, it is getting harder and harder to reinforce what is important, when they are bombarded by the commercialism that is going on EVERYWHERE ELSE. All their friend have to talk about is the latest video game or cartoon, or whatever new electronic device they are trying to convince their parents to buy for them.
The stores only really care about holidays that require gift giving or major decorating. It seems like the day after Halloween the Christmas decor went up this year. I was shocked. I don't remember it EVER being that early before. All of it focuses on SANTA, and gifts. Gone are the few stores who would put up a nativity, because that is no longer politically correct. All of the well wishing signs now say Happy Holidays, rather than Merry Christmas, because heaven forbid if somebody in this Christian Nation offends someone who is not. (don't even get me started on that.)
What I'd like to know is what happened to Thanksgiving? Couldn't we all use a day of gratitude amidst all of this shameless greed and gluttony? Would it kill us to stop, and take a minute to offer a prayer of gratitude and Thanksgiving for all of the blessings we have received, for the bounty we have, and the opportunities that have been afforded us?
I think it is so important for us to teach our kids (and our neighbors kids too, while they are in our homes) how blessed they are, and how important it is to be grateful, and to stand strong for what we believe in, so when the hard times come they (and we) are prepared and ready to move forward.
This year I am looking for more ways to help my kids learn to serve, rather than to be greedy, and I hope to report some great experiences.

Book Review: The Prayer of Jabez

2009-10-11T22:42:00.001-07:00

The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life by Bruce H. Wilkinson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic little book! I read it once, but I want to read it 10 more times, so I left it on my "currently reading" shelf. I think there are lots of "secrets" hidden in it's pages, and it will take several re-readings to unlock them all. I love knowing that God wants more for me, even when I am happy and blessed. I love that it's ok to aspire to success, as long as we do it through, for and because of Him. :-)

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Not Too Shabby!!

2009-04-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am a bit of a clothes horse. And at any given time my closet is over-flowing with odds and ends or every size, shape, style, and flavor. I love to wear red, I have a collection of tanks in every shade of the rainbow to compliment, and modestify my ward-drobe. What I am most proud of is how little I paid for each item in my closet. I am a major deal-monger. I have attractive shoes that I've spent less than $3 on. I have a fancy jacket I bought on ebay for much less than it retails for, and I have probably changed out my ward-drobe every 2 years withouth spending much money on it. When I get tired of something, I list it on ebay, and use the money I get to purchase the next item. I once bought a semi-formal dress on clearance at Dillard's for $25. Two years, and several wears later, I hocked it on ebay for $49. Not too shabby, eh?
I love that I can always find a way to get what I want. The oddity here is that am terrible at budgeting. I just plain don't do well with finances. But I always know how to find money when I want something. My husband is continually frustrated with my magic ability to have whater I want w/o using the family money. I think he wishes I'd sell stuff on ebay and start a savings account with it instead. I barter, and sell, and bargain hunt until the item I am seeking fits inton the narrow window of possibility that I have created as a guideline for it's acquisition.
I've also learned that by trading things out frequently, the value of the original item holds longer. This is especially true with electronics. I proabaly get a new camera every year. And I generally sell my old one for at least as much, or more than I purchase the new one for.
Once, after discovering that Kitchenaid now makes their mixers in Red, I was determined to get one for my new house. I had a white shabby, not so chic, one that functioned just fine, but I really wanted that red one. So I put mine for sale, and I got $278 for it on ebay. Then I watched, and waited, and hunted. About a month later, I found a refurbished one with a full warranty for $279 including shipping. AND, it was RED!! I was delighted! Some people may find these habits shallow, and materialistic, but for me, I see it as a a creative shopping outlet, and a way to enjoy the hunt so to speak, without frequent overspending.

Bartering in Modern Times??

2009-02-20T11:14:00.001-08:00

I just had a wonderful sense of happy gratefulness wash over me as my house-keeper left yet again, and equally as happy as I, with an armful of fabulous items in exchange for her past few weeks work.
In December I told the woman whom I'd been paying to clean my house on a bi-weekly basis, that I could no longer afford her services. What a terrible time for me to have to tell her that, let alone the fact that she was doing a great job and I really needed her. She was quite gracious and understanding about it, and even offered to come a few more times in exchange for a couple of leftover scrapbooking items that we had previously discussed bartering for. I happily agreed as her services would see me through the mess that was our Holiday Season.
After Christmas she continued to call and come as regularly as before, and mentioned that I still had things she was interested in. I finally just had to ask her how long she thought this arrangement was going to work out, because I didn't want to depend on her if she was going to quit coming one day. She just smiled and said, "Don't worry, you have lots of things that I want." I was stunned, as well as very grateful that she was willing to continue our bargain.
It is now approaching early march, and she has shown no sign of quitting anytime soon. She is a little more free about the time she arrives, and if there is a day here and there that she can't come, but otherwise just as dependable as always. So far I have given her a 6 foot folding table, a couple chairs, a food processor I wasn't using, some Quickutz metal alphabet dies for cutting letters out of paper, plastic drawer units, a dresser, and more. And she still keeps coming every week, twice a week. She leaves just as satisfied as I feel about being able to still have my home clean even though I am too busy right now to do it myself.
The more I have thought about it, the more grateful I have become. It has been a huge blessing in disguise, and I feel almost guilty about it because I am getting 2 things from it. One is a clean house, the second is I am little by little ridding my home of it's excess. Something I've been planning to do for a long time anyway. I had planned to list lots of stuff on ebay, which takes quite a bit of time. So now she just lets me know what things she is interested in and during the week I decide on a price for those items. I have explained to her that I really need to recover a fair price for my scrapbooking items, as I would be able to do on ebay. So some of the things that are more pricey she doesn't choose, but on other things I try to give her the best deal that I can. All in all you've got two happy ladies here!
A few months ago I was in my neighbors backyard and noticed they had recently disassembled their chain-link dog run and tucked it behind a shed. I asked what they were going to do with it and she just smiled and said, who knows! We don't need it. I immediately thought of how I could use it, and remembered us talking before about her buying some of my folding tables that I had inherited from a recent business purchase. So I offered to trade her those tables for the dog run. Well this week, her unwanted dog run was re-assembled in my backyard and covered with wire. It now houses our 13 baby chickens we've been raising the past few months.
The more I think about this, the happier I get. I have fallen into the trap in recent years of collecting too much stuff. And now I am in the position where I want to simplify, and I can't get what I want out of my stuff. People just won't pay very much for used stuff, no matter how nice or how valuable. And that can get frustrating. So I'm thinking I need to be more aware of what's going on around me so that I can use bartering more to trade value for value and get the things that I need without spending money. This accomplishes the 2 things I mentioned before. (1) I get what I need, and (2) I give up what I don't need. Could there be a better deal?? Well those are my thoughts on the subject today, I hope you enjoyed them! Maybe you'll try out bartering
now and see where (or what) it gets you. Bartering has literally made my life a breeze!

It's your lucky day...if you're quick!

2009-02-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is a fun idea that I stole off my sister-in-law's blog, because I was the first to respond to hers. I like a challenge, AND i have some resources, so I already had an idea of what I can do for you. SO, see if you get lucky, and end up on the list!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It'll be done this year. That gives me a good eleven months to get it done!

4. You have no clue what it's going to be. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange (but don't expect my gift to be too strange because I am not good at coming up with strange things:).The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

Conversations in the supermarket

2009-01-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

Before actually arriving that night, I had another interesting experience. I'll need to preface it a bit with some more background about me. Being a Heritage Maker, I have become more aware of people around me, in an effort to meet new people, and develop new friendships for the purpose of expanding my network and, in turn, my business. I carry brochures, business card, and even a published project or two in my purse so that, should the opportunity arise, I am prepared.
On the way to pick up Laura, I stopped at the grocery store (Ok, so that is actually about 2 miles OUT of the way, but is that really relevant?) to pick up some cookies for the meeting. (They were more for my intense craving, but it sounds better if I say I was getting them for the meeting.) So I'm standing in the junk aisle and there are 2 other people there as well. One woman was frantically looking for a particular candy bar, and a man seemed concerned about her plight and was casually helping her. I could see the distress, and I chuckled and said something like "Oh no, we can't have tears in the candy aisle!" They both laughed, and she explained to me what she was looking for. We made friendly small talk for a minute, and then she went a little deeper and told me that her and her family were settling back into their home after beign away for 5 months. Both the man and I were intrigued and I asked what had kept her away so long. She said her son had had a serious accident and they were at the hospital all that time with him, and now they were moving back in and settlign back into normal life. The man seemed satisfied with this, took his things, and moved on with his shopping. I was not satisfied, and I pried a bit deeper. She seemed all to willing to share, and gave me a little more information about how they were remodeling the house for a wheel chair, and I don't remember what else. Then she got a call on her cell phone, excused herself with her eyes, and proceeced to talk to someone who, from what I could hear, I presumed to be her son. I stood in the aisle, bewildered by what she had told me, and contemplating what to do next. I was somewhat frozen, but trying not to look that way. I pretended to scan the aisle as if I were still looking for something, but my mind was fixated on the woman. She walked back to her cart and started to head out the aisle, and I felt my heart skip a beat. If I didn't do something about it this woman was going to walk out of my life forever. What should I do? Why did it matter? What am I so ruffled about? I didn't know, but I couldn't deny the drive to talk to her some more, so I followed her. She was still on the phone, but I was in a hurry so I couldn't wait too much longer. I walked over to her and interrupted her phone call by asking if I could give her my business card. She told her son (or whoever was on the phone) that she'd call him back, and so kindly gave me her attention. I told her that I felt like she had a story to tell. Her face showed great surprise as she d said, "Well actually, yes, I do have a story." And she began to tell me what had happened to her son, and how much pain and trial they had been through over the past few months. He had been riding a bicycle and he somehow rode over a pipe bomb, and it blew his body in half. Somehow after dying 3 times, he has managed to live through this experience, and is expected to continue to live. I was intrigued, and I was also drawn to this woman. I felt like there was a connection, and somehow we were meant to run into one another. By this time I was horribly late to pick up Laura, but so grateful that I was able to talk to her, so I explained my plight, asked for her phone number, promised to call her, and excused myself to go and pay for my stash. She told me that it was so nice just to talk to someone, after "living" in the hospital for so many months. She seemed as happy about the connection as I was. I am still not sure the significance of all of this, but I know I was supposed to meet her. I will call her in a few days, and pursue the friendship that was mysteriously put in front of me. God works in mysterious ways. It sounds very trite to say this now, but it's amazing how the more I think about it, my life really is a breeze.

Writer's Club, Day 1

2009-01-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

This week I attended a meeting of my neighborhood's "Writer's Club." I've been wanting to go for some time now, but I kept forgetting. My friend who attends regularly, has really been nudging me to come, so she made sure I remembered this time. Well I had 2 great experiences that night, one being the writer's club, and I'll tell you about the other one towards the end.
The writer's club is a group of women, most of whom are much nearer to 50 than my friend and I, who enjoy writing and sharing their work for constructive critique and feedback. I was a bit nervous about my younger, less wisdomatic self contributing in any significant way, but truthfully, I greatly enjoyed it. This weeks assignment was to write a personal essay. Nobody actually produced a proper one, according to the club president, but there were many inspiring literary pieces produced.
One of the gals who is a gardener wrote a piece about a floral arrangement that had more beauty and description than I'd read anywhere in a long time. It made me realize how shallow and boring my writing has become. I want my writing to have life, beauty, and real meaning as hers did, but at the same time, you have to believe it came from me. So how do I do that? I hope to find out as I continue to write.
Part of the events of the group was to do a 10 minute writing exercise. They just pick a word randomly, and everyone writes whatever comes to mind. I was a bit intimidated as I wrote only a half a page, put down my pen, and felt like the work was completed. As I sat there for what seemed like an hour and looked around the room at each person busily scribbling away on their various notebooks and pads, I started to feel unsure of what I had written. I looked at my paper and then around the room again, and I felt some sort of anxiety, like I needed to write more - but about what? My thought process had been complete, there was no more. Why couldn't I be satisfied with what I wrote? Not so patiently, I continued to wait.
The word? Yesterday. We all kind of chuckled, and someone started singing, "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away..." And then we began to write.
Here is what I came up with:

There were so many things on my list of "to-do's" for yesterday that I haven't even gotten to today. If I don't turn the page in my planner, does that mean it's still yesterday for me? Can I buy time so easily? Is it really possible that if I just try not to think about it, I could fool myself into believing it's still yesterday? Whenever something is required of me, the deadline is always yesterday. So try though I might, I can never catch up anyway. As quickly as I run, my feet never carry me to done. I am always a work in progress, pushing towards the goal, only to arrive in time to find out the mark has been moved further up the line. But I will keep going as long as I can, I'm not a quitter. I would just like to get yesterday done sometime before tomorrow.

My first thought was what I mentioned earlier - shallow. Then as I re-read a few times it seemed somewhat poetic. Today, 2 days later, I rather like it. It's growing on me. I might even feel a little proud. My Life is a Breeze!

2008-12-29T09:55:00.001-08:00

…So today I told all the kids that I needed extra help because I hurt my arm yesterday, and I can’t lift anything with it. My little daughter has been soooo helpful. She actually unloaded the entire dishwasher (in half the time it takes her older brother.)

While singing at the top of her lungs … Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride a horse sleigh…

And now she is in my room happily and speedily folding all her clothes. (while singing “we wish you a merry christmas…”)

Then she says, “Mom, did you know I’m thankful for my clothes? Because If I didn’t have any clothes, I’d have to make my own”

(We were talking about gratitude and appropriate reactions to gifts before the family came the other night. Sure enough when she opens the gift from grandma, I moaned "Oh, Grandma Hates me!" Guess I should've listened more to my own advice.)

Did I mention she’s already cleaned her room and made her bed Today as well? And it’s only 10:30 am.

What did I do to deserve this? J Maybe I should fake injuries more often (Not that I am faking this one.)

(My husband and I were dancing in the kitchen to Christmas music and he went to spin me and ended up twisting my arm right off. )

Anaheim Marriott, CA

2008-09-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I just returned from an amazing weekend away with my Heritage Makers Family. We had our annual convention in Anaheim, Ca. at the Anaheim Marriott. There were over 400 women there who share my passion for Storybooking and preserving their heritage. There was so much good information, training, and uplifting motivation to keep us going in our business throughout the year. It was fun to be able to be with our team members in person, and to re-connect with friends from previous trainings, and to make new friends. We had 2 full days of workshops, with fabulous speakers like Karen Phelps, Wendy McGee, Joey O'Conner, Doug Cloward, Hallie Redd, and we even heard a tidbit from Oprah herself! Yep, that's right, you heard me. Turns out even Oprah believes in preserving stories. One of our Amazing consultants, Brenda Kruse, made her a book about Gracie, Oprah's dog that passed away a year ago, and sent it to her on the anniversary of her death. Oprah called her back and left a nice message expressing her gratitude. Click Here to listen to the message. Click Here to See the book. Click on "Full Screen", so you can read the story.

We also attended a Royal Ball on Friday night to recognize and honor those consultants who had advanced in rank, had phenominal acheivements, and completed and earned various incentives. As you know, "my life is a breeze!" Below is a photo of our Team:

First Cantelope of the season!

2008-09-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I just went out to the garden and there were 2 big cantelopes sitting there all ready to be picked!
How Fun! There are 10 more on the vine, that are 1/2 as big, and it's almost October. I hope they make it. I always plant so late in the year that it's a wonder if I get anything at all!

Below is a photo of my little cutie eating some of last years Cantelope. It's been a good couple of seasons for that. We also have tomatoes coming out our ears. Which is a fun place to have them coming out of!
I love to Garden, and every year is unique. Sometimes we have lots of bugs. Sometimes we don't get any peppers. Sometimes things die early in the season because I lost interest and started ignoring it. But these last 2 years, have been amazing. We must have much better soil than we use to! I love the harvest season when all your hard work finally pays off. My life is a breeze! :-)

What a great day!

2008-09-23T07:09:00.001-07:00

This morning, I got up as usual to drive the monkey's to school, and start the daily grind. After dropping them I ended up passing the LDS temple on my drive to go do some grocery and other shopping. I saw the "little gold guy" on top of the temple and thought of my good friend Debbie.
Her and I had gone out shopping last week to find her a formal dress for some recognition she'll be receiving from the company we both work with. (Heritage Makers )
We found her a dress, and then decided she'd need one of those body shaper things so she could feel her best at the ball. :-) So we both sat there and laughed for about 10 minutes while she tried to cram herself into one of these things, she was shocked and horrified that women actually wear these. I assured her that all was well and that was how it should be.
Well, being the Debbie that she is, she also managed to have a meaningful conversation with the department head at Sears, and took her out to lunch the next day to discuss how she might join our ranks in Heritage Makers. She told me the story of their conversation, and how this woman had asked wha the deal is with the "little gold guy" on top of the temple. So not only did Debbie manage to get a great business contact, but now she is doing missionary work on top of it, and all while she is crammed into a body shaper! Very impressive!
So when I saw the little "gold guy" on top of the temple, I thought of my friend, and what an example she is to me. I called her up, and left a message, and told her how neat she is. Now I have to tell one more story in order to put the rest of this in context. When Debbie and I met, she was pregnant, and I had just had a baby. Her baby was born 3 months pre-mature, and I went to the hospital to see if there was anything I could do for her. I asked her why she wasn't up and walking yet, because that is very important as soon as possible after a c-section, and she said she didn't have anything to cover her properly so she could, and she quietly asked if I could buy her some underwear. So I wend out and bought her a robe, and some undies. And she loves to tell people in her sassy way that I bought her underwear. (this was 11 years ago.)
So yesterday I was feeling sentimental toward my friend, and I was out shopping already, so I thought it would be fun if just for old times sake, I bought her another pair of underwear. When I presented them to her later that afternoon, we both busted up laughing!
We ended up getting to spend the afternoon together too because her car was in the shop, and just like a couple a teenagers we sat around, laughed, and watched youtube videos. (Just the ones mom's would enjoy, of course.) My friend Laura came by, and got sucked into our little party, and by the time she left, Debbie had her committed to signing up with Heritage Makers. What a stinker! I've been trying to convince her for 6 months! And all it took was one afternoon with Debbie! I have alot to live up to , but hey, like I said before, "My life is a breeze!"

(Hey, I think it's working! See my first post)

Here are a few of the fun videos that we watched:

"My Life is a Breeze"

2008-09-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, everyone keeps telling me I should start a blog. It's the "in" thing to do. Truthfully I like to write, and I keep a journal, I just seemed a little skeptical of how this was going to go.

I was over at a neighbors house visiting her with a friend, and we asked how everything was going. She replied "my life is a breeze" and smiled really big and genuine like, and I thought to myself, "wow!, a breeze, really? What would that be like?" I am so far behind on everything I want to do, need to do, and should've already done, that the words breeze, and life, have never entered my vocabulary in the same week.

So I decided this would be a great way to start my blog. I went to a leadership training for the company I work for, and I was taught how to dream, how to set goals, and how to get what I want out of life. The first thing you're supposed to do is speak "as if" those things already "are." So let me end my first post with, "my life is a breeze!"